Hay-rack and box for wagons.



G. E. W. PRIESS.

HAY RACK AND BOX FOR WAGONS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 20. 1913.

Patented June 13, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1- WITNESSES HE COLUMBIA PMNOGRAPH :0. WASHINGTON. D. c.

G. E. W. PRIESS.

HAY BACK AND BOX FOR WAGONS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 20. 1913.

THE COLUMBIA PLANGOI'IAPH OD, WASHINGTON, D- C- GUSTAV EDWARD WILLIAM PRIESS, OF SAGINAW, MICHIGAN.

HAY-RACK Ann BOX. FOR WAGONS.

Specification of Letters latent.

Patented June 13, 1916.

7 Application filed December 20, 1913. Serial No. 807,881.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GUSTAV E. W. P zmss, a cit1zen of the United States, and a resident 'of Saginaw, in the county of Saginaw and State of Michigan, have invented a new and Improved Hay-Rack and Box for Wagons, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates more particularly tofarm vehicles adapted to be readily arranged to provide a hay rack, or to provide a box or platform for carrying miscellaneous farm products in baskets, boxes, or other containers, or in bulk.

The invention primarily has in View to provide a construction in which an improved substitute will be provided in lieu of the ordinary cross bars, or poles as they are termed.

In carrying out my invention, use is made of tubular transverse members, or equivalent structural iron capable of being bent to give any desired angle at the ends. The employment of tubular cross bars or equivalent structural iron elements permits also of adjustable end members being employed, adapted to be differently disposed according to whether a hay rack is to be provided, or a box or platform.

The invention consists in the novel. features and combinations hereinafter more particularly described.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a broken side elevation of a wagon showing my improved cross bars and securing means therefor; Fig. 2 is an end view of the wagon in a form to provide a rack; the ends of the metallic cross members being integral with the body of the cross bars; Fig. 3 is a detail cross section showing the manner of securing the cover strips or boards to the cross bars; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view showing in the upper portion elements of the rack platform about to be lowered onto the side plates of the body, the lower portion showing the manner of sustaining 0n the side plates the cross-bars for the rack platform; Fig. 4 is a broken side view illustrating another form of the invention, the running gear of the wagon being omitted; Fig. 5 is a transverse vertical section with parts broken out, of

the construction illustrated in Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a detail partly in transverse vertical section, showing another adjustment of the end members of the metallic cross bars; and Fig. 7 is a perspective view of one of said end members.

The invention is applicable to any known form of running gear 10, having bolsters 11, and my improvement is arranged in connection with the usual bed plates or side boards 12, which ordinarily consist of boards resting on edge on the b lsters 11, between standards 13.

In the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2, cross bars 14 are provided, formed from a square tube, and are received in suitable transverse openings in the bed plates 12, below the top edges of the latter. To secure the cross bars 14 against vertical displacement I preferably employ inverted hangers .or eye-bolts 15, the loops or eyes 15 of which embrace the cross bars, there being a pair of said fasteners adjacent to each bed plate 12. The threaded lower ends of the fasteners 15 pass through angle irons 16, or equivalent transverse members disposed at the under sides of the bed plates, nuts 17 serving to complete the fastening. The end angle irons 16 are desirably disposed adjacent to the bolsters 11, respectively at the back of the rear bolster and at the front of the front bolster.

In the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2, ends- 14 are formed integral with the cross bars 14, and said ends may be bent upwardly at any desired angle, so that cover boards or strips 18 applied to said ends will provide upwardly inclined side members to a rack suitable for hay, there being cover boards 18 secured in suitable number on the'upper side of the body of the bars 14. The cover boards 18, 18 are nailed or otherwise fastened to cleats 19,19, and to secure the whole platform to the cross bars 14, bolts 20 are employed, extending through the cleats 19 and the adjacent cover boards or strips 18. Similar bolts 2O secure the cleats 19 and boards 18 The bolts pass downwardly at each side of the cross bar, and through bar washers 21, 21 nuts 22, 22*, serving to com plete the fastening. With the described construction the ends 14 may be given such an angle to the bodies of the cross bars 14, as to permanently form either a hay rack or a box construction.

In order to provide adjustable elements for the purpose of converting the structure into either a hay rack or a boX, at Will, the cross bars illustrated in Figs. 4; to 7 are employed, as indicated generally by the numeral 23 and are provided with separate end members 24. The bars 23 and their end members may be made of square tubing or structural bar iron of any desired cross section. Each end member 24 has its terminals 245*, 24. disposed at different angles to the body of the said member 24:, so that one angular terminal 24 will be at a greater angle to the body than the opposite end 24 By the described construction, if the end 2% be secured to the body 23 of the cross bar, the member 24 will be disposed at a slight angle to the horizontal, as shown in Fig. 6. On the other hand, if the opposite end 24 is fastened to the body 23 of the cross bar, the end member 24 will be disposed more nearly perpendicular to the body 23, and thus at a slight angle to the vertical, as illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5. The latter construction provides for giving the structure a box form adapted to receive end boards 25.

It is to be understood that the end members 24 at each side have their respective cover boards or strips 18 and that any suitable arrangement of cover boards 18 are laid above and properly secured to cleats l9 at the top edges of the side boards or bed plates 12". The several cover boards 18 are secured to the end members 24 by any suitable fastening bolts 26, or equivalent means, to which cleats 27 are applied for receiving the end boards 25. The end members 24: are provided with boltholes 26 to receive the bolts 26. The bolts 20, With Washers 2 1 and nuts 22 may be employed for securing the bars 23 in the manner described With reference to the similar bars 14. The members 24:, in the present example, are secured to the bars 23 by inserting an end 24: or 24 in the ends of the said bar 23, there being registering bolt-holes provided to receive bolts 28. In inverting the end members 24 to vary their angular positions, the right and left members 24 are transposed, the right hand member being shifted to the left when inverted and the left hand member being shifted to the right side.

My invention provides a strong construction involving a minimum cost for manufacture, and permits of various adjustments being made with convenience and despatch.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

In a Wagon structure of the character de scribed, a convertible rack and boX consisting of cross bars, means for supporting the cross bars on the Wagon, and separate end members on said bars, the end members having their opposite ends at different angles to the bodies of said members, and means for detachably securing either end of said members to either end of the cross bars.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

GUSTAV EDWARD WILLIAM PRIESS.

l/Vitnesses:

HE RY J. ZACI-IARIAS, LEOPOLD L. PEARSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G." 

